Fungal Fermentation: Industrial

Abstract

Industrial fermentation with fungi is used to produce a number of commercial products. Fungal metabolism is exploited to manufacture
ethanol, citric acid, steroids, antibiotics and other substances with applications in the food, fuel, chemical and pharmaceutical
industries.

Natural and synthetic penicillins are derived from the penicillin core, which bears the β‐lactam ring. Some examples of penicillins
made by (a) fermentation with Penicillium species, (b) fermentation with Cephalosporium species, and (c) fermentation in the presence of synthetic precursors.

Figure 3.

The chemical structure of cephalosporin C, an antibiotic obtained from species of Cephalosporium, and 7‐ACA, its derivative which serves as starting material for many semisynthetic cephalosporins of clinical importance.